Rutgers University
No. 5 Penn State
No. 22 WRES Falls to No. 5 PSU
Jan 16 | Wrestling
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - With a record crowd of 6,071 fans in attendance at the RAC, the No. 22 Rutgers wrestling team fell, 28-6, to No. 5 Penn State Friday night in Big Ten Conference competition.
The Scarlet Knights (9-4, 0-4 Big Ten) brought the match to 8-6 behind back-to-back wins by 141-pounder Anthony Ashnault (South Plainfield, N.J.) and 149-pounder Ken Theobold (Toms River, N.J.). But Penn State won out the rest of the way to close with the 28-6 final.
Post-Match Press Conference - Penn State
Penn State Play-By-Play For Theobold (16-4), the 5-2 victory against No. 17/18/11 Zack Beitz was his third in a row in Big Ten action, and his first ranked win of the 2014-15 campaign.
Ashnault (16-3) captured his second consecutive win with a 6-4 decision against Nittany Lion Kade Moss and now has a team-best 12-1 dual record this season.
The Nittany Lions (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) used four major decisions at 125, 133, 157 and 165 pounds to distance themselves, taking decisions at 174, 184, 197 and a sudden victory win at 285 pounds.
Consecutive major decisions against 125-pounder Sean McCabe (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) and No. NR/17/NR 133-pounder Scott DelVecchio (South Plainfield, N.J.) to start the evening put RU in a quick 8-0 hole.
Ashnault and Theobold revived the RAC with their decisions, but Penn State would not surrender another bout in the match.
Redshirt freshman 157-pounder Dylan Painton (South Plainfield, N.J.) faced his second top-five opponent in five days versus No. 7/4/5 Dylan Alton. Alton applied pressure early and closed the match with six points in the third for the major decision in Painton's second-career dual start.
165-pounder Nick Visicaro (Long Branch, N.J.) fell to 3-2 on the year with his loss to Garett Hammond. The dual start was the first this season for Visicaro, who last competed in a dual on Feb. 21, 2014 at the RAC in a win over Drexel.
Redshirt sophomore 174-pounder Phil Bakuckas (Hammonton, N.J.) dropped a 7-1 decision against No. 4/7/4 Matt Brown - Bakuckas' third-straight top-five opponent. Despite the loss, Bakuckas (15-7) is one win shy of the team lead.
184-pounder Anthony Pafumi (Westfield, N.J.) fought back against No. 16/16/NR Matt McCutcheon after trailing 8-0 in the first period, losing 10-4. Two three-point near falls in the opening stanza proved too much for Pafumi to overcome, dropping him to 11-8 this season.
A pair of takedowns in the third period by No. 6/6/7 Morgan McIntosh sealed an 8-2 decision against No. NR/18/NR Andrew Campolattano (Bound Brook, N.J.) at 197 pounds.
The heavyweight match needed sudden victory to decide a winner, with No. 13/13/14 Billy Smith (Wantage, N.J.) tying the bout with an escape and a locked hands call against No. NR/8/NR Jon Gingrich at the 1:18-mark in the third period.
But it was Gingrich who fired the first shot in sudden victory, getting in on the right leg of Smith eight seconds in for a 5-3 win.
Rutgers travels to face fellow Big Ten newcomer Maryland (5-9, 0-3 Big Ten) Sunday at noon. The match at the XFinity Center will be the second meeting in as many years between the Scarlet Knights and Terrapins.
No. 5 Penn State 28, No. 22 Rutgers 6
Dual started at 125 pounds
Officials: Joe Bartel and John Hnath
Attendance: 6,071 (New Program Record)
125: No. 8/9/11 Jordan Conaway (PSU) major dec. over Sean McCabe (RU), 10-2; Penn State leads, 4-0
133: No. 7/7/9 Jimmy Gulibon (PSU) major dec. over No. NR/17/NR Scott DelVecchio (RU), 12-2; Penn State leads, 8-0
141: No. 7/8/9 Anthony Ashnault (RU) dec. over Kade Moss (PSU), 6-4; Penn State leads, 8-3
149: No. NR/NR/17 Ken Theobold (RU) dec. over No. 17/18/11 Zack Beitz (PSU), 5-2; Penn State leads, 8-6
157: No. 7/4/5 Dylan Alton (PSU) major dec. over Dylan Painton (RU), 11-3; Penn State leads, 12-6
165: Garett Hammond (PSU) major dec. over Nick Visicaro (RU), 13-4; Penn State leads, 16-6
174: No. 4/7/4 Matt Brown (PSU) dec. over No. 20/15/18 Phil Bakuckas (RU), 7-1; Penn State leads, 19-6
184: No. 16/16/NR Matt McCutcheon (PSU) dec. over Anthony Pafumi (RU), 10-4; Penn State leads, 22-6
197: No. 6/6/7 Morgan McIntosh (PSU) dec. over No. NR/18/NR Andrew Campolattno (RU), 8-2; Penn State leads, 25-6
285: No. NR/8/NR Jon Gingrich (PSU) dec. over No. 13/13/14 Billy Smith (RU), 5-3 (SV); Penn State wins, 28-6
Rankings (-/-/-): InterMat / The Open Mat / WIN Magazine (Jan. 13)
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Players Mentioned
